There was a post somewhere, I think Leigh's blog again, where somebody sent in their own bikini photos along with pictures of Jessica Biel and Evangeline Lilly from LOST and said, "I want to look like them. What do I do? How much more do I need to lose?" And the surprising answer was that she was already leaner and more muscular than either one of them. She just couldn't see it. So, dieting more and training harder isn't always the answer. Female celebrities are tiny, no doubt, but they tend to carry less muscle and more fat than your average gym rat. So trying to bodybuild or crossfit your way to that physique doesn't necessarily produce the desired results.
I've only recently, like in the last year, acknowledged that bigger and leaner isn't always better. I admire bodybuilders and fitness competitors and I know the dedication involved. It's a beautiful thing if it's what you want, but it's an exercise in futility if your "ideal" is actually smaller and softer. I'm grateful to people like Valerie Waters and Leigh Peele for explaining the size/leanness thing in a way that my frazzled and obsessive brain could finally grasp.
I think I fall somewhere in the middle. I can't stick to the light weights and stretchy bands that celebrities like. I want to be functionally strong and able to do pull-ups and whatnot, but I'm not big on weight machines and heavy deadlifts anymore. I've found a nice groove with the TRX, Pilates, kettlebell, body weight stuff. It's very challenging, but the challenge doesn't come from always going heavier and heavier on the weights. And on the nutrition front, I see that it's not all about chicken and broccoli and six meals per day. If you want a bodybuilding/fitness look maybe it's still about that, but if you want to be a regular person who has nice tank top arms and can wear a bikini to the pool, you don't have to be quite such a spazzy freak about it. It's ok to just be happy.
Thoughts?
